Bodily injuries and ailments are commonly treated by applying a nonambient temperature material to the affected area of the body. For example, low temperature material, typically in the form of ice or a cold liquid, advantageously inhibits swelling in the region of the injury. A high temperature material, typically applied in the form of hot water or an active heating element, advantageously reduces pain and promotes healing.
A number of devices have been developed for continuously treating an injury at a controlled low temperature by circulating a cooling fluid between a low temperature fluid reservoir and a cooling pad positioned on the desired body location of a patient. Such devices are typified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,149,529 to Copeland et al; and 4,962,761 to Golden. As is apparent, the treatment efficiency of the cooling pad is optimal when the heat exchange surface of the pad has maximum contact with the body location being treated to facilitate heat exchange between the body and pad. Accordingly, both of the above-referenced patents disclose cooling pads that desirably conform to the contours of the body.
Nevertheless, the performance of such prior art pads has been found to be unsatisfactory. The pad of Copeland et al uniquely fits only one particular body part and body size. Thus, a whole range of pads must be maintained in inventory to accommodate treatment of different body parts and body sizes. Although the cooling pad of Golden has a more generic configuration, it is not readily conformable to rounded body parts, such as knee joints, without employing an intervening cushion which diminishes the heat exchange performance of the pad.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,771 to Molloy discloses a cooling pad that attempts to overcome these problems. Although the pad of Molloy has been found to have somewhat improved conformance characteristics, its restrictive flow channel nevertheless has a tendency to kink when closely configured to certain body contours. It has also been found that the restrictive flow channel of the Molloy pad does not produce a sufficiently uniform temperature distribution across the pad.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a nonambient temperature treatment pad that is closely conformable to virtually any body contour. It is another object of the present invention to provide a treatment pad having a fluid flowpath therethrough which is not substantially kinked or otherwise impeded when the pad is conformed to a body contour. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a treatment pad that maintains a substantially uniform temperature distribution across its heat exchange surface when the pad is conformed to a body contour.